Multi-use and multi-style garment

ABSTRACT

A mutli-use and multi-style garment is shown from a single piece of fabric, having a tubular main portion having both anterior and posterior edges when viewed in elevation, the tubular main portion being adapted to surround desired portions of the body of the wearer; two opposing extensions extending upwardly from the anterior edge of the tubular main portion, the opposing extensions having a lower end connected to the tubular main portion and upper free ends opposite the lower end which can be manipulated in different ways depending on both the desired type and style of clothing; a vertical slit extending downwardly on the anterior edge of at least one side of the tubular main portion to allow for mobility when the garment is worn by the wearer; and wherein, a specific configuration is selected from the group consisting of: when the opposing extensions are crisscrossed and tied about the neck of the wearer, an aperture is created with a diameter proportionate to the length of the garment against the body of the wearer, in which the smaller the diameter of the aperture, the shorter the garment to the point of substantially being a blouse, and the longer the diameter the longer the garment to the point of substantially being a dress; when the opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied about the neck of the wearer, substantially no aperture is created and the garment is substantially a dress; when the opposing extensions are not cris-crossed and tied below the armpits of the wearer, the garment is substantially a dress; and when the opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied around the waist of the wearer, the garment is substantially a skirt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of garments, and more particularly to a garment that fits all women comprising a single piece of fabric adaptable to be worn in a number of configuration suitable for a variety of occasions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a garment that is specifically configured from a singe piece of fabric to create the appearance of multiple different garments dependent upon the process of wearing. The garment of the instant invention is worn as a sarong or sun dress, worn around a woman's torso, as a blouse, or worn as a skirt around a woman's hips. Whether worn around a woman's hips or torso, the garment of the instant invention as engaged by the wearer in a variety of manners creates an array of fashions, all from a single garment.

No two people share all of the same physical attributes. Indeed, women, for example, come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of shape and size, women need clothing that will cover certain portions of their body while also making a suitable fashion statement. Moreover, in that certain types of garments fit certain body types better than others, women with certain body types typically shy away from purchasing or wearing certain types of garments, due to either a poor fit or an unattractive appearance. It is thus an object of the instant invention to provide a garment that will cover the desired portions of a woman's body, regardless of her body type.

Typically, garments generally have a single use, such as that of a blouse, tube top, skirt, and sarong; thus requiring multiple articles of clothing to provide for each specific use. Indeed, when a woman desires differently styled garments for different purposes, such as casual wear, she is required to purchase a number of different garments commensurate with the desired style. For example, if a sun dress with parallel straps and a sun dress with cris-crossing straps is desired, two different sun-dresses must be purchased. Likewise, if a skirt and a sun dress are desired, the person must again purchase multiple garments. This becomes a burden on the woman who must own and store multiple articles of clothing for various styles and occasions. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment which can be worn to fit women of all body types in a multiplicity of ways to create the appearance of multiple garments.

It is generally known that shirts, skirts and tube tops are worn to both fashionably cover a desired portion of a woman's body, while keeping the comfort of the wearer in mind. Indeed, garments such as shirts, skirts and tube tops are generally worn in casual settings, with an emphasis on both function and comfort. Such garments are manufactured in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to allow for the purchase of articles of clothing by women of various body types. However, those garments ordinarily provide only a single use which requires the wearer to spend additional money in order to obtain garments for other uses. For example, should one desire to wear a sarong to cover up one's bathing suit and then later wear a skirt to go out to dinner, she would ordinarily have two garments, one for each purpose. Requiring a woman to carry multiple garments to suit her demands creates a burden on the individual, and also anticipates that the individual will not necessarily be able to change into the desired article of clothing, due to lack of availability. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment which can be adapted to fulfill the function of multiple garments.

Shirts, such as tube tops, typically incorporate the use of an elastic band, or multiple elastic bands, to hold the tube top above the wearer's breasts which is suitable only for those with larger breasts that, due to the fact that the diameter of a woman's body is typically greatest about her breasts, prevent the garment from falling. Therefore, women with larger breasts may purchase comfortable, loose-fitting tube tops. Women with smaller breasts, on the other hand, must purchase a tube top of a much smaller size, thus compromising comfort, or risk allowing the tube top to slip off, thus exposing the wearer. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a single self-supporting garment which can be adapted to fulfill the function of multiple garments irrespective of different physiological characteristics of wearers.

Further, blouses are created to fit the circumference of a woman's torso, but do not always take into account the various breast sizes in women who have the same circumference for their bust, hips and waist therefore providing for a blouse, which has a single use, that may be too tight or too large around the breasts causing discomfort. Moreover, skirts, like blouses, have a single use, but are designed to fit a woman's waist without necessarily taking into consideration a woman's hips and thighs; thus, forcing women to unnecessarily search for a skirt that fits their unique body shape. Furthermore, while sarongs provide for flexibility in securing the garment to a women's waist, the use of a sarong is limited to that of a skirt and given its lack of tubular shape, the sarong, if not fastened securely, has the potential to loosen and fall off of its wearer.

Furthermore, these known garments do not provide for more than one use. These garments provide for individual style, lacking the ability to represent a multiplicity of fashions in a single garment comprised of a single piece of fabric. Thus it is an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment which can be secured to any woman's torso or hips, regardless of body type, to create a multiplicity of fashions without the need for numerous articles of clothing.

Single-use garments require that the wearer fit a predetermined body shape, to force women to feel the pressures of societal influence in obtaining a specific figure, which for some may be impossible. By creating a sense or need in having a certain body figure, women may never purchase such garments or, even worse, may be so enthralled in trying to achieve such a “cookie-cutter” figure that they live unhealthily in hopes of achieving such goals. In either case, women of various body types lack accessibility to all fashions. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment which can be secured to any woman's torso or hips, regardless of body type, to create a multiplicity of fashions without the need for numerous articles of clothing and without having a negative impact on the female psyche.

A further disadvantage of single-use garments is that they are truly made for a single use causing a need for large amounts of clothing that clutter a closet. The clothing market is littered with garments that have only a single use, such as blouses and skirts, that quickly fill a closet or dresser. Moreover, when out and about, changes in weather or location may necessitate a change of clothing or adaptation thereof. However, most people do not carry multiple sets of clothing with them as even the mere concept is burdensome and by no means feasible (nor required as shown herein below). As a result, one may likely find herself in a position where she is without clothing with is appropriate for the situation, therefore leaving the individual vulnerable and uncomfortable. Thus it is an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment which may be adapted to create a multiplicity of fashions, depending on either the user's activity or environmental conditions, without the need for numerous articles of clothing.

Known in the art are shirts, blouses, and other garments which provide for multiple uses through the use of a variety of fasteners. Some 56 years ago, there existed a need for multi-use garments as shown by the issuance of U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,791 to Brown showing a blouse that can be manipulated and worn in various styles on the woman's torso via the use of fasteners (including buttons and hooks). U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,788 to Page shows a garment which can be used as a blouse, hood, collar or loose fitting back through manipulation of the said garment and use the hooks therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,791 to Carver shows an athletic t-shirt that can be used as a bra-like bust support above an exposed midriff through the use of snaps therein. These garments, however, fail to provide a multi-use garment created from a single piece of fabric including the means for securing such garment to various locations on the female anatomy to create various different fashions.

Also known in the art are garments which may be adapted into different garments through the use of multiple functional components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,779 to Spector shows a hip-length shirt that can be shortened to a waist-length shirt through the removal of a lower portion of the garment attached by a series of buttons. U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,175 to Greenblatt shows a pair of crotchless pants that can be converted into a shirt upon removal of the waistband. U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,494 to Sandroussi shows a garment which must be integrated into other garments in order to utilize its function of bust support without the need for a brassiere. U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,585 to Capparelli shows a piece of fabric used to cover the ventral portion of the torso which attaches to an undergarment via male and female snaps. U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,167 to Jeffrey shows a dress which can be worn in various fashions through varying the combinations of attachments using the tie belts therein. These garments, however, fail to provide a multi-use garment created from a single piece of fabric including the means for securing garment to various locations in the female anatomy to create a plurality of different fashion statements.

Also known in the art are dressed and other garments which provide for multiple styles through the use of ties attached to the anterior portion of the garment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,062 to Basaldua shows a dress which is comprised of a tubular portion below the waist and has ties attached thereto which can be used to vary the dress styles and even permit the wearer to create a bathing suit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,253 to Roscoe shows a tubular dress which can be worn in multiple dress styles based on the manner in which the anterior ties are secured.

Also known in the art are wraps and other garments which allow the wearer to create various styles by securing the wrap around portions of the body. These devices, however, fail to provide a multi-use garment created from a single piece of fabric including the means for securing such garment in various fashions. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a single garment, free of any accessories, which can be worn to fit women of all body types in a multiplicity of ways to create the appearance of multiple garments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a garment derived from a single piece of fabric formed into a tubular shape having at least two symmetrical extensions which extend from the anterior portion of the garment which may be manipulated by the wearer in a multiplicity of ways to effectively create multiple garments.

The multi-use and multi-style garment of the instant invention utilizes a multiplicity of anterior extensions so as to provide the wearer with multiple fashions on the torso or hips based upon the manner of which the extensions are secured. The multiplicity of extensions provide the means by which the garment is secured on the body. By tying the multiplicity of extensions in different manners, the wearer is given a multiplicity of styles which can accommodate various occasions and stylistic desires. The multi-use and multi-style garment of the instant invention further utilizes a cost-efficient single piece of fabric.

An advantage of the instant invention is that a woman of any body shape and size can secure the instant garment around her hips, breasts and/or neck through the use of the extensions without worry that the garment will slide off. Indeed, rather than relying on the larger diameter of a woman's breast or hips to prevent a garment from falling to the floor, the extensions may be tied.

The multi-use and multi-style garment of the present invention is manufactured in a variety of different lengths and out of a variety of different materials, depending on the desired characteristics, such as color, weight of the garment, desired variety of uses, etc.

The instant invention also includes a method for creating the various styles of the instant invention through the use of the anterior extensions and placement of said garment on the wearer's body. For example, placing the garment of the instant invention at the user's hips such that the anterior edge of the tube is in the proximal position, and tying the extensions along the anterior ridge of said tubular garment so as to secure the garment around the wearer's hips creates a skirt, while placing the garment on the torso such that the anterior edge of the tube is in the distal position and slightly above the level of the breasts, and tying the extensions along the anterior ridge of said tubular garment so as to secure the garment around the wearer's breasts creates one style of sun dress. Moreover, different style sun dresses are created by either placing the garment on the torso keeping the anterior ridge distal enough such that the tube covers the breasts, and tying the extensions at the dorsal side of the wearer's neck so as to create a large “O” that essentially surrounds the wearer's neck, or placing the garment on the torso keeping the anterior ridge distal enough such that the tube covers the breasts, and crisscrossing the extensions over one another ventral to the neck and tying the extensions at the dorsal side of the wearer's neck so as to create an “X” on the ventral portion of the wearer's chest. In the latter two styles, both a sun dress with parallel straps and a sun dress with criss-crossing straps is created. Accordingly, at least one type of skirt and three types of sun dresses may be obtained by manipulating the extensions of the garment, according to the user's desire.

Under the preferred embodiment, a mutli-use and multi-style garment is shown from a single piece of fabric, having a tubular main portion having both anterior and posterior edges when viewed in elevation, the tubular main portion being adapted to surround desired portions of the body of the wearer; two opposing extensions extending upwardly from the anterior edge of the tubular main portion, the opposing extensions having a lower end connected to the tubular main portion and upper free ends opposite the lower end which can be manipulated in different ways depending on both the desired type and style of clothing; a vertical slit extending downwardly on the anterior edge of at least one side of the tubular main portion to allow for mobility when the garment is worn by the wearer; and wherein, a specific configuration is selected from the group consisting of: when the opposing extensions are cris-crossed and tied about the neck of the wearer, an aperture is created with a diameter proportionate to the length of the garment against the body of the wearer, in which the smaller the diameter of the aperture, the shorter the garment to the point of substantially being a blouse, and the longer the diameter the longer the garment to the point of substantially being a dress; when the opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied about the neck of the wearer, substantially no aperture is created and the garment is substantially a dress; when the opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied below the armpits of the wearer, the garment is substantially a dress; and when the opposing extensions are not cris-crossed and tied around the waist of the wearer, the garment is substantially a skirt.

It should be understood that the terms blouse, skirt, dress are understood in accordance with that ordinarily accepted in the industry, also as shown by the drawings, which indicate that a blouse is substantially above the crotch line, a skirt below, and a dress extends from above the breasts to below the crotch line.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements through the several views:

FIG. 1 is a frontal (A and B) and rearward (C) perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, showing an extended aperture diameter for configuration as a dress with extensions cris-crossed;

FIG. 2 is a frontal (A and B) and rearward (C) perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, showing a non-cris-crossed extension configuration for a dress, with the extensions of the garment maintained in substantially parallel positions;

FIG. 3 is a frontal (A and B) and rearward (C) perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, showing the extensions of the garment tied along the anterior ridge of the garment below the wearer's armpits in a configuration substantially of a dress; and

FIG. 4 is a frontal (A and B) and rearward (C) perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, in which the upper portion shows a diameter of the aperture created by cris-crossed extensions to be very small thereby bringing the length substantially to a blouse, and also showing the optional addition of a second of the instant inventions attached as a skirt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows three views of a specific configuration of the instant invention, wherein a substantially single piece of fabric is used to create garment 1. It should be appreciated that the use of multiple pieces of fabric sown together, while not preferred herein, is nonetheless within the scope of the invention as claimed, in which the various pieces may be sown to a main piece in order for the total fabric to have all the attributes indicated.

Garment 1 is comprised of main portion 2 and a duality of extensions 4. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that garment 1 can be manufactured from a variety of different materials, depending on the desired characteristics, such as color, weight of the garment, desired variety of uses, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1 (A and B) (the anterior portion 2 of fabric 1), garment 1 includes extensions 4A and 4B which, in the instant configuration are crisscrossed (meaning that they cross below the neck of the wearer) to thereby create an aperture 10. It should be appreciated that the diameter of aperture 10 determines the length of the garment upon the wearer, wherein a larger diameter, as shown in FIG. 1 substantially creates a dress configuration, and a smaller diameter (like that worn on the torso as shown in FIG. 4) substantially creates a blouse configuration. The larger aperture 10, the looser extensions 4A and 4B are tied about the wearer, and hence the longer garment 1 extends against the body of the wearer.

Also shown in FIG. 1 (A and B), slit 6 is placed on the anterior portion of garment 1 and permits the wearer to move while wearing the same. Observably, FIG. 1C shows the posterior view of garment 1 wherein not 8 is provided resulting from the tying of the ends of extensions 4(A and B), as shown.

FIG. 2 shows an alternate configuration of garment 1 substantially as a dress, in which a non-cris-crossed application of extensions 4A and 4B are shown. Garment 1 is affixed by knot 8 of extensions 4(A and B), as shown.

FIG. 3 shows an alternate configuration of garment 1 substantially as a dress, in which extensions 4A and 4B are tied below the armpits of the wearer such that a dress configuration is provided.

FIG. 4 shows two garments in which a first garment 1A is affixed to the upper torso of the wearer as a blouse which is occasioned by a smaller-diameter aperture 10 formed by extensions 4A and 4B such that garment 1 is pulled upwardly against the body of the wearer and substantially above the crotch line. Also shown is a second garment 1B which is affixed as a skirt by the tying of extensions 4A and 4B about the waist of the wearer. While two such garments are shown worn, it is within the scope, intent and purpose of the instant invention to enable the independent wearing of either garments 1A and 1B, or, in the alternative, the wearing of two together, as shown.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1. A mutli-use and multi-style garment comprising a single piece of fabric to be worn by a wearer, comprising: (a) a tubular main portion having both anterior and posterior edges when viewed in elevation, said tubular main portion being adapted to surround desired portions of the body of the wearer; (b) two opposing extensions extending upwardly from the anterior edge of said tubular main portion, said opposing extensions having a lower end connected to said tubular main portion and upper free ends opposite said lower end which can be manipulated in different ways depending on both the desired type and style of clothing to achieve certain specific configurations; (c) a vertical slit extending downwardly on the anterior edge of at least one side of said tubular main portion to allow for mobility when the garment is worn by the wearer; and (d) wherein, a specific configuration is selected from the group of configurations, consisting of: (1) when said opposing extensions are cris-crossed and tied about the neck of the wearer of the garment, an aperture is created such that the diameter of the aperture is proportionate to the length of the garment against the body of the wearer, wherein: the smaller the diameter of the aperture, the shorter the garment to the point of substantially being a blouse, and the longer the diameter the longer the garment to the point of substantially being a dress; (2) when said opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied about the neck of the wearer, substantially no aperture is created and the garment is substantially a dress; (3) when said opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied below the armpits of the wearer, the garment is substantially a dress; and (4) when said opposing extensions are not crisscrossed and tied around the waist of the wearer, the garment is substantially a skirt. 